14 May 2014 - joy beyond ourselves
My paraphrase of today's gospel: I have told you to lay down your life for your friends, which is what it means to keep my commandments, so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is the joy of being my friends, the joy of knowing everything that the master is doing, the joy of knowing everything I've heard from my Father. From this vantage point, the Father will give you whatever you ask.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
We want complete joy. What is the 'this' here?
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
He tells us to keep his commandments not to impose limits on us but so that we might have joy. When we obey the commandments we keep our hearts open to the love he wants to pour out on us. He distills down the commandments to one commandment: "love one another as I love you." He tells us to lay down our lives for our friends just as he does. We know that we aren't quite where we ought to be yet because to lay down our lives does not sound to us like joy. Why does Jesus insist on this as a condition his friendship? Can't he just give us joy while we continue to live egocentric lives? He cannot. The deepest truth of who we are, made in his image, can only find fulfillment in self-gift. Vatican II tells us:
Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for himself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self. (GS 24)
This is what it means to know what our master is doing, everything Jesus has heard from his Father. It is a revelation about the structure of reality, about the purpose of God which underlies everything he does. The Father pours out all he is so completely that this is the Son himself. The Son reciprocates that love. The bond of self-giving between them is the Holy Spirit. None of the Blessed Trinity holds on to his own life. Their limitless joy is only in the context of constantly pouring out their own superabundant lives in love. God wants to let us in on this wonderful exchange. This is impossible on a human level. We can't get beyond ourselves to genuinely enter in to love like this. It is rather the lofty destiny of sharing in the divine nature. He wants our joy to be complete in nothing less than sharing in his own life. And in the human context of life on earth this means to lay down our lives for God and for our brothers. This is far from being an arbitrary limitation. It is a summons to move beyond all we can ask for or imagine into the uncharted territory of blessedness that is life in God.
It wasn't us who chose him. It was he who chose us because he knows so much better than us what makes for human flourishing and happiness. To that end, we should consult with him whenever we can when we have to make choices. This is what the apostles do in the reading from Acts.
You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Since we are working on a plan which predates us, which is ultimately more than we can even understand, with ends greater than we can imagine, we must leave the plan in God's hands. We must not try to take it and run with it on our own apart from him. This is how we can "bear fruit that will remain".
So let us keep his commandments. Let us be ready to lay down our lives for his kingdom. When we do so we experience the joy of knowing what the master is doing, of seeing the kingdom built. We see the lowly lifted up all around us, seated now with princes. St. Matthias is lifted up like this. But even those who aren't made bishops are lifted up because we are all called to the same thing: the fullness of joy.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
13 May 2014 - voice of unity
13 May 2014 - voice of unity
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
At Antioch becomes apparent that all the old ways of referring to this Messianic movement which originates in Judaism are insufficient. Once people begin "to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus" it becomes obvious that we need a broader term to refer to his followers. The family of God is no longer delimited along ethnic boundaries. Rather all of those "turned to the Lord" are now included, whether or Jewish or not. The branch of the Gentiles is grafted on. The flock now consists of all those who hear the voice of Jesus.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
Before the voice of Jesus unites us we have to rely on other voices. The others voices have been all too human. Their guidance has been too uncertain. The LORD speaks to his people through prophets and kings. But the best of them are ultimately unreliable. Because this is so God cannot unite his people around their voices. He unites them around their ethnic heritage (and in doing so unites them around their shared origins in his covenant). He unites them around a rigid understanding of law. He does all of this to prepare a people to receive the shepherd when he finally comes. He comes to find those who are dissatisfied and disappointed with human voices. He prepares humanity to long for a voice which finally speaks "the words of eternal life" and then he speaks those words. Today. To each ones of us.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
To be held in the hand of Jesus is to be held in the Father's hand. There is no more secure place than this. These are the words of certainty for which we long. This is the place where true unity among nations can be realized. We no longer merely hear the rigid demands of the law. We perceive the love of the voice speaking the law. When this assurance of love undergirds our own efforts we feel freedom to unite with one another. No longer do reject those different from ourselves. We no longer fear intimacy. Different origins no longer prevent us from sharing a common destiny. We are given a new birth to a living hope in (1 Pet. 1:3) baptism. This new birth is shared by all who are now called Christians. This is how are united in the city of God: the Church.
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
We finally belong! We are not strangers or sojourners any longer! We are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the very household of the most high (cf. Eph. 2:19)! Let us be consoled by this and rejoice!
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
At Antioch becomes apparent that all the old ways of referring to this Messianic movement which originates in Judaism are insufficient. Once people begin "to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus" it becomes obvious that we need a broader term to refer to his followers. The family of God is no longer delimited along ethnic boundaries. Rather all of those "turned to the Lord" are now included, whether or Jewish or not. The branch of the Gentiles is grafted on. The flock now consists of all those who hear the voice of Jesus.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
Before the voice of Jesus unites us we have to rely on other voices. The others voices have been all too human. Their guidance has been too uncertain. The LORD speaks to his people through prophets and kings. But the best of them are ultimately unreliable. Because this is so God cannot unite his people around their voices. He unites them around their ethnic heritage (and in doing so unites them around their shared origins in his covenant). He unites them around a rigid understanding of law. He does all of this to prepare a people to receive the shepherd when he finally comes. He comes to find those who are dissatisfied and disappointed with human voices. He prepares humanity to long for a voice which finally speaks "the words of eternal life" and then he speaks those words. Today. To each ones of us.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
To be held in the hand of Jesus is to be held in the Father's hand. There is no more secure place than this. These are the words of certainty for which we long. This is the place where true unity among nations can be realized. We no longer merely hear the rigid demands of the law. We perceive the love of the voice speaking the law. When this assurance of love undergirds our own efforts we feel freedom to unite with one another. No longer do reject those different from ourselves. We no longer fear intimacy. Different origins no longer prevent us from sharing a common destiny. We are given a new birth to a living hope in (1 Pet. 1:3) baptism. This new birth is shared by all who are now called Christians. This is how are united in the city of God: the Church.
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
We finally belong! We are not strangers or sojourners any longer! We are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the very household of the most high (cf. Eph. 2:19)! Let us be consoled by this and rejoice!
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
Monday, May 12, 2014
12 May 2014 - one flock one shepherd
12 May 2014 - one flock one shepherd
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Jesus wants to use us to invite these other sheep to be part of his flock. We know that we should be open to this. But we are disillusioned. There are a million roadblocks in the way. The Greek speaking peoples of the time have their own traditions of philosophy and science and they look down with disdain on the Jewish people. What does the story of this people have to do with them? The message of Jesus seems even more incredible still. Aren't they too well cultured for such things? It begins to sound familiar.
Peter probably would prefer to keep to the sheep who are of the flock already and ignore the Gentiles who are not. It would be more comfortable for him that way. There would be less opportunity for scandal if he does not mix with a people whose ways his fellow Jews consider undesirable and unclean. Listen to Peter's discomfort:
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Yet Jesus needs Peter to understand that these are also among the sheep for whom he lays down his life. Jesus loves all of his sheep, whether they are currently part of the fold or whether they are lost and wandering. He lays down his life for all of us. He is unwilling to let anything get between his sheep and himself. He is the good shepherd and wants all of us to hear his voice and to know him and be shepherded by him. Peter can't work like the hired man, where concern for his own well-being dominates. He must leave that comfort behind in order for Jesus as he truly desires.
How do we overcome this reluctance to let God use us? How do we overcome our lack of trust in him? How do we give ourselves completely to his plan? We know that the whole world is longing for him just as "the hind longs for the running waters". He wants to satisfy the world with the water of life. The water that he wants to give is the Holy Spirit. And we must be open to him ourselves. First, we must listen as he directs us. Jesus himself promises that we can recognize his voice.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
We are often too discriminating. We are quick to assume that people won't accept what we have to say. But sometimes it is our taste that is too discriminating. Sometimes situations are just too unseemly for us. Our concern for how we are seen be others take precedence over our concern for others. Let us hear the Spirit speak. These words can empower us, if we pray them, to overcome all discrimination which keeps him from using us to the full.
It is this same Spirit that he longs to give to the whole world. He makes a visible and life changing difference that is even apparent to onlookers.
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
There is always more of the Holy Spirit to be received. He is a gift always waiting to be fanned into flames in our hearts. As we move toward Pentecost let us open ourselves to his transforming power within.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Jesus wants to use us to invite these other sheep to be part of his flock. We know that we should be open to this. But we are disillusioned. There are a million roadblocks in the way. The Greek speaking peoples of the time have their own traditions of philosophy and science and they look down with disdain on the Jewish people. What does the story of this people have to do with them? The message of Jesus seems even more incredible still. Aren't they too well cultured for such things? It begins to sound familiar.
Peter probably would prefer to keep to the sheep who are of the flock already and ignore the Gentiles who are not. It would be more comfortable for him that way. There would be less opportunity for scandal if he does not mix with a people whose ways his fellow Jews consider undesirable and unclean. Listen to Peter's discomfort:
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Yet Jesus needs Peter to understand that these are also among the sheep for whom he lays down his life. Jesus loves all of his sheep, whether they are currently part of the fold or whether they are lost and wandering. He lays down his life for all of us. He is unwilling to let anything get between his sheep and himself. He is the good shepherd and wants all of us to hear his voice and to know him and be shepherded by him. Peter can't work like the hired man, where concern for his own well-being dominates. He must leave that comfort behind in order for Jesus as he truly desires.
How do we overcome this reluctance to let God use us? How do we overcome our lack of trust in him? How do we give ourselves completely to his plan? We know that the whole world is longing for him just as "the hind longs for the running waters". He wants to satisfy the world with the water of life. The water that he wants to give is the Holy Spirit. And we must be open to him ourselves. First, we must listen as he directs us. Jesus himself promises that we can recognize his voice.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
We are often too discriminating. We are quick to assume that people won't accept what we have to say. But sometimes it is our taste that is too discriminating. Sometimes situations are just too unseemly for us. Our concern for how we are seen be others take precedence over our concern for others. Let us hear the Spirit speak. These words can empower us, if we pray them, to overcome all discrimination which keeps him from using us to the full.
It is this same Spirit that he longs to give to the whole world. He makes a visible and life changing difference that is even apparent to onlookers.
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
There is always more of the Holy Spirit to be received. He is a gift always waiting to be fanned into flames in our hearts. As we move toward Pentecost let us open ourselves to his transforming power within.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
11 May 2014 - speak life
11 May 2014 - speak life
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
How does the crowd respond? We hear the fire and brimstone in Peter's preaching. We might imagine that they become infuriated. We know how people would respond to us if we started accusing them of crucifying Jesus by their sinful behavior. They wouldn't listen. If they had been friends we'd be putting that relationship in jeopardy. But not so here.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”
What is different? Peter in particular speaks with the voice of the Good Shepherd. He is the one who is called by Jesus to feed the sheep of his flock (cf. Joh. 21:17). These are the sheep who, like us, "had gone astray". But when they hear the voice of the shepherd speaking through Peter they hear something that hits them in a way that is personal and direct, a way that "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Leads them out from where? From our lives of sin unto death he leads us into green pastures and running waters. From the netherworld he leads his people to the banquet of heaven.
Only Jesus can enter this gate and lead his sheep out. This is the gate through death to life everlasting. And we follow him as he leads us. We were lost sheep but now his voice guides us. And Peter was once lost too. He was scattered like the rest when the LORD was crucified. But he heard the voice of the shepherd calling his name. He heard, "Peter, feed me sheep" and now follows Jesus into the kingdom.
As his delegated shepherd Jesus speaks through Peter to us. He is able to speak this way by the "gift of the Holy Spirit" which works in him in a profound and unique way. But the gift is also for us, our children, and all who are far off. He enables us all, to varying degrees, to speak with the voice of the shepherd and call those sheep who are still lost out from darkness. On our own our words are powerless or even harmful. But when the shepherd speaks in us marvelous things can happen. We all long for our shepherd and when we find him there is nothing else we shall want.
So let us return to the source of the shepherd's voice. Let us listen to the Church speaking in the power of the Spirit to us. Let us be filled with that same Spirit so that we may speak the words Jesus wants each one of us to speak. Let us disentangle ourselves from the many other voices which clamor for our allegiance.
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
We must do this because there is no limit to whom "the Lord our God will call." We need to make sure that the voice of the shepherd comes through loud and clear when they begin to listen.
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Let us rejoice together with all who were once lost at the table he spreads before us in the sight of all of those who were once our foes. Let us rejoice, anointed by the Holy Spirit, as we drink together the overflowing cup of salvation.
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
How does the crowd respond? We hear the fire and brimstone in Peter's preaching. We might imagine that they become infuriated. We know how people would respond to us if we started accusing them of crucifying Jesus by their sinful behavior. They wouldn't listen. If they had been friends we'd be putting that relationship in jeopardy. But not so here.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”
What is different? Peter in particular speaks with the voice of the Good Shepherd. He is the one who is called by Jesus to feed the sheep of his flock (cf. Joh. 21:17). These are the sheep who, like us, "had gone astray". But when they hear the voice of the shepherd speaking through Peter they hear something that hits them in a way that is personal and direct, a way that "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Leads them out from where? From our lives of sin unto death he leads us into green pastures and running waters. From the netherworld he leads his people to the banquet of heaven.
Only Jesus can enter this gate and lead his sheep out. This is the gate through death to life everlasting. And we follow him as he leads us. We were lost sheep but now his voice guides us. And Peter was once lost too. He was scattered like the rest when the LORD was crucified. But he heard the voice of the shepherd calling his name. He heard, "Peter, feed me sheep" and now follows Jesus into the kingdom.
As his delegated shepherd Jesus speaks through Peter to us. He is able to speak this way by the "gift of the Holy Spirit" which works in him in a profound and unique way. But the gift is also for us, our children, and all who are far off. He enables us all, to varying degrees, to speak with the voice of the shepherd and call those sheep who are still lost out from darkness. On our own our words are powerless or even harmful. But when the shepherd speaks in us marvelous things can happen. We all long for our shepherd and when we find him there is nothing else we shall want.
So let us return to the source of the shepherd's voice. Let us listen to the Church speaking in the power of the Spirit to us. Let us be filled with that same Spirit so that we may speak the words Jesus wants each one of us to speak. Let us disentangle ourselves from the many other voices which clamor for our allegiance.
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
We must do this because there is no limit to whom "the Lord our God will call." We need to make sure that the voice of the shepherd comes through loud and clear when they begin to listen.
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Let us rejoice together with all who were once lost at the table he spreads before us in the sight of all of those who were once our foes. Let us rejoice, anointed by the Holy Spirit, as we drink together the overflowing cup of salvation.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
10 May 2014 - uncommonplace
10 May 2014 - uncommonplace
The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace.
Is our Church at peace? We have gone for years and years with an absence of conflict that few of us would be so bold as to call peace. Peace is a positive quality, not a mere absence of conflict. Peace can't entail this sense of numbness and isolation that we experience as we drift through life in the Church. And these days, that life is not even without conflict. The government assaults the freedom of the Church on the external front. Within, liberals and conservatives war with one another. What is different in the early days of the Church?
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
File under 'Stories of an Idyllic Past', right? But wait. Are we called any less than the early Christians to walk in the fear of the Lord? Are baptism and confirmation becoming less efficacious over time? Emphatically, no!
Yet we choose to walk without fear of the LORD. We choose to take him for granted. We are so used to the superabundance of his love and mercy that we accept it as normal. We begin to live as though it is something which we are owed. Our relationship with God starts to resemble a relationship between a man and a woman which, though it begins with the two so afraid to make a misstep because of the awe in which they each hold the other, quickly loses this quality unless it is constantly reaffirmed and chosen.
So to with us. If we want to walk in fear of the LORD it will not happen automatically. We can't just enter our churches on Sunday set to autopilot. We must choose how we regard God, whether with fear or with indifference. We must choose the quality of attention with which we regard him as he offers us life.
When we do walk in the fear of the LORD our relationship with him is marked by joy and freshness. Every time is like the first time. The Holy Spirit builds the Church up in his consolation because, fearing him, we are open to that consolation in the deepest part of our souls. We are intimately open to his gift in a way that we are not if we take him for granted.
This is why the stories from Acts are not just idyllic. The early Church walks so profoundly in the fear of the LORD that his power can't help but manifest all around them. Peter healing Aeneas, Peter raising Tabitha, and all of the healings in Acts are meant to show us what is possible. In fact, they are meant to establish expectations for what is normative when, as Church, we walk in the fear of the LORD.
The LORD's promises are so great that if we hear him and our hearts are indifferent we are tempted to turn aside.
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
But when his promises are more than we understand, indeed more than all we can ask for or imagine, we can nevertheless accept them if we are walking in fear of him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth on which angels ascending, lifting us high, and descend, bringing down every blessing. The places where heaven meets earth are not commonplace. We are called to turn to him with our whole heart because only in his name is there salvation. This is the attentiveness which couples that are truly in love with one another mirror on a natural level. Only the Holy Spirit and his consolation can ultimately empower such love in our hearts. But, oh, when he does, what joy we find.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace.
Is our Church at peace? We have gone for years and years with an absence of conflict that few of us would be so bold as to call peace. Peace is a positive quality, not a mere absence of conflict. Peace can't entail this sense of numbness and isolation that we experience as we drift through life in the Church. And these days, that life is not even without conflict. The government assaults the freedom of the Church on the external front. Within, liberals and conservatives war with one another. What is different in the early days of the Church?
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
File under 'Stories of an Idyllic Past', right? But wait. Are we called any less than the early Christians to walk in the fear of the Lord? Are baptism and confirmation becoming less efficacious over time? Emphatically, no!
Yet we choose to walk without fear of the LORD. We choose to take him for granted. We are so used to the superabundance of his love and mercy that we accept it as normal. We begin to live as though it is something which we are owed. Our relationship with God starts to resemble a relationship between a man and a woman which, though it begins with the two so afraid to make a misstep because of the awe in which they each hold the other, quickly loses this quality unless it is constantly reaffirmed and chosen.
So to with us. If we want to walk in fear of the LORD it will not happen automatically. We can't just enter our churches on Sunday set to autopilot. We must choose how we regard God, whether with fear or with indifference. We must choose the quality of attention with which we regard him as he offers us life.
When we do walk in the fear of the LORD our relationship with him is marked by joy and freshness. Every time is like the first time. The Holy Spirit builds the Church up in his consolation because, fearing him, we are open to that consolation in the deepest part of our souls. We are intimately open to his gift in a way that we are not if we take him for granted.
This is why the stories from Acts are not just idyllic. The early Church walks so profoundly in the fear of the LORD that his power can't help but manifest all around them. Peter healing Aeneas, Peter raising Tabitha, and all of the healings in Acts are meant to show us what is possible. In fact, they are meant to establish expectations for what is normative when, as Church, we walk in the fear of the LORD.
The LORD's promises are so great that if we hear him and our hearts are indifferent we are tempted to turn aside.
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
But when his promises are more than we understand, indeed more than all we can ask for or imagine, we can nevertheless accept them if we are walking in fear of him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth on which angels ascending, lifting us high, and descend, bringing down every blessing. The places where heaven meets earth are not commonplace. We are called to turn to him with our whole heart because only in his name is there salvation. This is the attentiveness which couples that are truly in love with one another mirror on a natural level. Only the Holy Spirit and his consolation can ultimately empower such love in our hearts. But, oh, when he does, what joy we find.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
Friday, May 9, 2014
9 May 2014 - sensory overload
9 May 2014 - sensory overload
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
This is the true meaning of eternal life. It isn't just being near Jesus. It is having his life in us. It is remaining in him. It is him remaining in us. This is why we receive him, why we eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Eternal life is so much more than just life without end. It is the communion of love and joy shared by the Triune God.
But if our focus shifts from this life in the abstract to our typical Sunday reception of Holy Communion we have trouble making the connection. Even if we know that we receive Jesus, even if our eyes our sometimes filled with tears at the tenderness of his touch, do we realize or experience ourselves being filled with the very life of God? Each Sunday has the power to change us forever after. Does it happen? The answer, since we are weak mortal creatures, is likely, 'no', or perhaps 'Really? That's possible?' But if the reality is there, why the disconnect?
We, like Saul, have scales on our eyes, preventing us from recognizing all the ways in which Jesus is present in this world. But Jesus gives sight to Paul even though Paul persecutes him. And he wants to give renewed sight to us as well. He wants Paul to regain his sight so that he may "be filled with the Holy Spirit". So too with us. When we truly see the gift of divine life in the Eucharist we too are more open to be filled with that life, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is why Peter tells us we may become "partakers of the divine nature" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4). Doesn't the word partaker itself hint at the Eucharist? And he himself gives "us everything we need for a godly life through knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
Jesus wants to teach us to listen as he teaches Ananias to listen. Jesus says something Ananias doesn't like and so Ananias points something out to Jesus which he feels Jesus may have overlooked.
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But Jesus, being omniscient, overlooks nothing. He has taken all things into account and wants to teach us to take him at his word. We may not at first understand why Jesus chooses one like Paul. But we must still go to him if we are called.
Back to Sunday Mass then. We may not understand fully what it means to receive "the bread that came down from heaven". And how can way since it has such depth of meaning? But we need to recognize that Jesus is the one with the words of eternal life. We can trust him. We can let the words, 'This is my body' and 'This is my blood' echo in our souls as we hear the priest speak them. They have the power to communicate to our spirits the truth they signify. The reality of the presence of Jesus, the reality of the divine life contained therein, is made present to us in these very words. Just before the consecration we hear the LORD call us by name as he calls Ananias. Let us answer, "Here I am Lord" as he does. Let us truly be present.
When we are hearing clearly the LORD can use us for his mission as he does with Ananias. Seeing clearly for Paul also means a worldview centered on mission. It is profoundly realistic, recognizing that suffering is entailed. But the message of the life which is available to us all means that any suffering we experience is not to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed (cf. Rom. 8:18).
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
As our eyes and ears are opened, so too are our mouths. We begin to proclaim this Good News with praise and joy. We move from timidity to reckless abandon to his mission!
Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!a
His mercy for us is strong;
the faithfulness of the LORD is forever.
Hallelujah!
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
This is the true meaning of eternal life. It isn't just being near Jesus. It is having his life in us. It is remaining in him. It is him remaining in us. This is why we receive him, why we eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Eternal life is so much more than just life without end. It is the communion of love and joy shared by the Triune God.
But if our focus shifts from this life in the abstract to our typical Sunday reception of Holy Communion we have trouble making the connection. Even if we know that we receive Jesus, even if our eyes our sometimes filled with tears at the tenderness of his touch, do we realize or experience ourselves being filled with the very life of God? Each Sunday has the power to change us forever after. Does it happen? The answer, since we are weak mortal creatures, is likely, 'no', or perhaps 'Really? That's possible?' But if the reality is there, why the disconnect?
We, like Saul, have scales on our eyes, preventing us from recognizing all the ways in which Jesus is present in this world. But Jesus gives sight to Paul even though Paul persecutes him. And he wants to give renewed sight to us as well. He wants Paul to regain his sight so that he may "be filled with the Holy Spirit". So too with us. When we truly see the gift of divine life in the Eucharist we too are more open to be filled with that life, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is why Peter tells us we may become "partakers of the divine nature" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4). Doesn't the word partaker itself hint at the Eucharist? And he himself gives "us everything we need for a godly life through knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
Jesus wants to teach us to listen as he teaches Ananias to listen. Jesus says something Ananias doesn't like and so Ananias points something out to Jesus which he feels Jesus may have overlooked.
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But Jesus, being omniscient, overlooks nothing. He has taken all things into account and wants to teach us to take him at his word. We may not at first understand why Jesus chooses one like Paul. But we must still go to him if we are called.
Back to Sunday Mass then. We may not understand fully what it means to receive "the bread that came down from heaven". And how can way since it has such depth of meaning? But we need to recognize that Jesus is the one with the words of eternal life. We can trust him. We can let the words, 'This is my body' and 'This is my blood' echo in our souls as we hear the priest speak them. They have the power to communicate to our spirits the truth they signify. The reality of the presence of Jesus, the reality of the divine life contained therein, is made present to us in these very words. Just before the consecration we hear the LORD call us by name as he calls Ananias. Let us answer, "Here I am Lord" as he does. Let us truly be present.
When we are hearing clearly the LORD can use us for his mission as he does with Ananias. Seeing clearly for Paul also means a worldview centered on mission. It is profoundly realistic, recognizing that suffering is entailed. But the message of the life which is available to us all means that any suffering we experience is not to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed (cf. Rom. 8:18).
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
As our eyes and ears are opened, so too are our mouths. We begin to proclaim this Good News with praise and joy. We move from timidity to reckless abandon to his mission!
Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!a
His mercy for us is strong;
the faithfulness of the LORD is forever.
Hallelujah!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
8 May 2014 - fire eaters
8 May 2014 - fire eaters
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
He replied,
“How can I, unless someone instructs me?”
Do we understand the Scriptures when we read them? A fair answer is the response of the eunuch. How can we, unless we are instructed? We have certainly experienced those barriers and roadblocks that try to stop us as we delve into God's word. Yet we remain fascinated with it. It is not like the other words of which our lives are so full.
But it is a very specific kind of instruction we need, as Jesus tells us:
They shall all be taught by God.
And since no one "has seen the Father except the one who is from God" that one, Jesus, is the source of the understanding we need. Our own efforts, all merely human wisdom, and teachers reasoning with merely human ability are ultimately insufficient.
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." (cf. Col. 2:28)
We should like to sit at the feet of Jesus and ask him all sorts of questions about what Scripture means. But he is reigning in heaven. What do we do, practically, to gain wisdom and understanding?
The secret is (as often) the Holy Spirit by whom we are anointed in baptism and confirmation.
As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you (cf. 1 Joh. 2:27)
Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth (cf. Joh. 16:13). Let this remind us that we don't have the truth automatically and that we need a guide to get to it.
But what about our brothers and sisters? Surely the mature among them can help to guide us. Yet Jesus cautions such brothers, "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers" (cf. Mat. 23:8).
And yet we see Philip impart wisdom to the eunuch from Ethiopia. Is this a contradiction? He seems to be acting as a teacher even though we only have one teacher. But all is not what it seems on the surface. When we listen in we see that Philip is being guided by the Spirit who places him there in the first place when he says "Go and join up with the chariot." Together, Philip and the eunuch seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. This wisdom manifests more through one for the benefit of another, but it is the Holy Spirit who teaches. This is a microcosm of the larger Church. The Church is, as Paul tells us, "the pillar and foundation of truth" (cf. 1 Tim 3:15). What that must mean, then, is that it is filled with the Holy Spirit in a way that makes it an all together reliable guide for us.
From the bottom to the top of the Church the Spirit is speaking to his people, leading them into all truth. He wants us to be as open to this truth as Philip is. He wants to be able to send us out to talk to others. And at the same time he wants us to have the assurance that we can turn to the Church for the explanations we need when we find ourselves in situations like that of the eunuch.
How do we respond to this in a practical way? How do we open ourselves more to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, both to receive that teaching and to share it with others? We come to Jesus who pours that Spirit out on us. He is the one who fills us with the Spirit in our baptism and confirmation and it is he who fans the Spirit into flames in us when we ask.
But practically, how do we come to Jesus for this?
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
He gives us his very life in the Eucharist which is to say the life of the Spirit. That is why Saint John Paul the Great quotes Saint Ephrem who says that "He who eats it with faith, eats Fire and Spirit." Let us receive with faith so that we will be as free as Philip to proclaim Jesus.
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
while I recount what has been done for me.
I called to him with my mouth;
praise was upon my tongue.
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